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Do You Prefer Roundabouts or Sheep?

Last week I talked about learning to drive and passing the driving test. I don’t have a crystal ball or a time machine (I wish I did) but now some news has come out about where you are most likely to pass your test in the UK.

I passed mine in the west of Scotland and it seems like I had it easy. The lovely Campbeltown in Argyll was the best performing centre, with 87 of the 120 new drivers passing their test there, giving a 72.5% rate. I am going to take a break here because I haven’t heard the song “Oh Campbeltown Loch Ah wish ye were whisky” in years and I am off to find a version online.

The Worst is in Bradford

Ah, that was good. Now where we? Ah yes, what about those places with the lowest pass rates. It turns out that out Bradford way there is a centre called Heaton which has an incredibly low pass rate of just 31.6%.

Second best was Kendal in Cumbria and second worst was Wanstead in Greater London. It seems a bit too simplistic to say that the rural test centres give you the best chance of passing but the statistics certainly make it seem that way. If we look at the league table 9 of the top 20 in term of pass rates are in Wales of rural parts of Scotland. Greater London accounted for 6 of the 10 test centres with the lowest pass rates.

Overall the pass rate is a little under 50% across the country. Neil Greig from the Institute of Advanced Motorists pointed out that perhaps new drivers in rural parts of the country are more prepared for their tests, as their need to get around in a vehicle is usually greater. He also said that while there are possibly fewer hazards such as roundabouts there may be others, “such as sheep”. Give me a roundabout over a sheep any day.

About Robert Bell

Robert Bell is a regular contributor to the First Vehicle Leasing Blog. He moved from the UK to South America in order to save the rainforest and ended up staying there. He drives a very old Toyota Hi-Lux which he just can't bear to change.

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